Shloka 4
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ६६: तुमुलसंग्रामवर्णनम्
The Tumult of Battle Described
सेनाका वह अनन्त वेग देवताओंके लिये भी दुःसह था। पूर्णिमाको बढ़े हुए समुद्रके समान अपार जान पड़ता था ।। रथनागाश्चवकलिलं शड्खदुन्दुभिनादितम् | अनन्तरथपादातं रजसा सर्वतो वृतम्,वह सैन्य-समुद्र रथ, हाथी और घोड़ोंसे भरा हुआ था। शंख और दुन्दुभियोंकी ध्वनिसे कोलाहलपूर्ण हो रहा था। उसमें रथ और पैदलोंकी संख्या नहीं बतायी जा सकती थी तथा उस सेनामें सब ओर धूल व्याप्त हो रही थी
sa senā ca vah ananta-vegaḥ devatānām api duḥsahaḥ āsīt | pūrṇimāyāṃ vardhamāna-samudra iva apāraḥ pratibhāti || ratha-nāgāśva-kalilaṃ śaṅkha-dundubhi-nāditam | ananta-ratha-pādātaṃ rajasā sarvato vṛtam ||
Sañjaya said: That army surged forward with immeasurable speed, unbearable even to the gods, and seemed boundless—like the ocean swelling on the full-moon night. It was densely packed with chariots, elephants, and horses; it roared with the blare of conches and the beat of kettledrums. Its chariots and foot-soldiers were beyond counting, and dust spread everywhere, veiling the scene. The image underscores how war magnifies human ambition into a force that overwhelms discernment, making restraint and dharma harder to uphold amid noise, numbers, and fear.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive, but it implicitly warns that the sheer mass, speed, and clamor of war can overwhelm judgment. In such conditions, maintaining dharma requires inner steadiness, because external spectacle—numbers, noise, and fear—pushes people toward impulsive, dehumanizing action.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the terrifying advance of the forces: the host appears limitless like a full-moon-swollen sea, packed with chariots, elephants, horses, and innumerable foot-soldiers, roaring with conches and drums while dust rises everywhere.